They pray to Allah, dance the Zumba, and teach their children about the right to vote. They started out as traders but now work in banking and real estate and are steadily permeating the law, engineering and medical professions.

And the Ismailis, the Muslim diplomatic and business elite, are establishing a new global headquarters in Lisbon. The Portuguese capital’s discrete Ismaili community believes that the new world headquarters of the Ismaili imamate will bring changes.

In the corner of a garden in Lisbon’s Laranjeiras neighbourhood, a dozen children with beige shirts and coloured neckscarves are playing with wooden staves. They make up Troup 36 of the National Scout Association, and are all Ismailis, members of a Shiite Muslim minority led by millionaire Prince Aga Khan.

On Saturdays afternoons, these 20 boys and girls gather for activities in the gigantic limestone and glass building which forms the community’s main gathering place in the country.

The younger Scouts are in one of the corridors preparing for their next camp, outside a room where they gather to decide which voluntary activities they will participate in. “Recently, we’ve collected food for the a charity food bank, helped paint the Piaget Institute facilities, and participated in a fund-raising campaign for Audi de Berço,” scoutmaster Safik Cassamo, 31, explains. He leads the Scout group created almost four decades ago, when much of the present Ismaili community came to Portugal from Mozambique.

When their activities are finished, the children, between six and 14 years of age, will stay in the centre to welcome other Ismailis to the Navroz Spring celebrations – one of the three most important festivals for Ismailis.

There will be a dinner, music and dancing in two of the building’s rooms, already prepared with tables and flowers. “The older Scouts will serve the drinks,” explains Safik, who divides his time between scouting and managing his family’s hotel and stationery business in the Arroios neighbourhood. Everybody lends a hand. “I cannot think of anyone who has never worked voluntarily for the community,” he says.

The Ismaili Centre in Lisbon, together with the Aga Khan Foundation in Portugal, currently provides a diverse range of services to the faithful. The Ismailis don’t see volunteering as charity work. “It is a tradition that dates from the origin of the community and helped to create an exemplary organization,” argues Master of Islamic Studies Faranaz Keshavjee.
Aga Khan IV, the religious leader of the Ismaili Shiite Muslim community
Participation in voluntary activities and internal structures has one goal: to implement the guidelines of Aga Khan IV, the religious leader of the community.

The Ismaili organization is spread over 25 countries and has a network of financial, business and development institutions that between them spend more than EUR550 million on social and cultural activities alone.

The ultimate aim, says anthropologist and expert on ethnic minorities José Gabriel Pereira Bastos, is to ensure that “the Ismailis continue to be a well-integrated elite, recognized with respect and dignity in the various countries where they live”.

“They want to maintain their status, but not to dominate. They want to be at the top, but on an equal footing. In the world threatened by radicalism, they defend their vision of a pacifist Islam and support development,” he explains.

The eight thousand faithful who live in Portugal like to be discreet, almost invisible. “They hate media attention and rarely appear in the newspapers,” he concludes.

On Sunday mornings, the Ismailis often meet for gymnastics or to dance zumba in Lisbon’s First of May stadium. It is not by chance: Prince Aga Khan has issued direct ordinances for his followers to exercise and have regular medical check-ups.

Karim Al Hussaini, the 79-year-old Swiss-born aristocrat with a British passport who graduated from Harvard in the United States, inherited the Persian title of Aga Khan when he succeeded his grandfather. He is the 49th spiritual leader of the Ismailis, and regulates almost all aspects of the community’s life. All Ismailis swear an oath of allegiance and loyalty to him.

“We are the only Muslim Shia who are led by a living Imam who is a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad,” says Riaz Issa, a member of the institution that manages the religious and cultural aspects of the community.

As Imam, the Aga Khan must interpret the Koran for present times, and is responsible for improving the lives and ensuring the well-being of his community and the countries through which it spreads. “In Islam, there is no separation between the spiritual and material life. There is a pursuit of excellence in intellectual and material life, which must also be used for the benefit of others,” says Issa.

So the Imam’s guidelines go far beyond questions of faith, defining how his followers should integrate in the societies where they live, how they should be educated, study, conduct business and remain healthy.

The basis of Ismaili organization is the constitution it adopted in 1986, which defines religious aspects of obedience to the prince and the various institutions that embody community life. These include national and regional councils and even a system of arbitration for the resolution of disputes, which can be used as an alternative to the courts in a jurisdiction.

First and foremost, however, Ismailis have to obey the laws of the countries they live in.

The Portuguese faithful are directed by a national council, chosen every three years to implement the directions of the leader. At the head of this structure is Firozali Rahim, who was appointed last year and is also director general of the Combined Insurance Company of Portugal. The council vice president is businessman Azim Manji, who has led the economic department of the Portuguese Ismailis.
The former home of Lisbon’s Universidade Nova Management School will be the new Ismaili world headquarters
The 19 members of this council meet in the Ismaili Centre in Lisbon. Around a large oval table, they organize programs that ensure the functioning of the national community, as well as those in Spain, Mozambique and Angola.

This pseudo-government has ministers responsible for specific portfolios, such as education, youth, health and economy, who coordinate activities in the various sectors.

Implementation of projects on the ground is made possible by financing from the Aga Khan, who personally decides levels of support. “Whenever a new board is chosen, the president and vice president discuss the programs directly with His Highness,” said a former member of the structure. The meetings have traditionally been held in Aiglemont, a 40-hectare property on the outskirts of Paris where the prince lives and which houses most of his offices. These meetings will from now on be held in Portugal.

The new headquarters of the Ismaili Imamate is Henrique Mendonça House, a mansion on Lisbon’s Marques da Fronteira street surrounded by gardens filled with palm and lime trees. From there, the prince will coordinate the Aga Khan Development Network, which employs 80,000 people in 30 countries.

The network includes agencies with annual revenues of EUR 3 billion, and owns nearly a hundred companies, including power plants, airlines, banks, pharmaceutical, insurance and media companies and hotel chains. According to the Ismaili community, its funds are then reinvested or used in social development agencies, such as the Aga Khan Foundation, universities, hospitals and programs for education and culture, ensuring support for millions in places as far afield as Afghanistan, Syria and Burkina Faso.

The sale of Henrique Mendonça House got the green light from the government on March 17, 2016. The Portuguese newspaper Publico reported that the matter was brought before the Council of Ministers meeting a day after the Aga Khan’s family contributed EUR200,000 to a Museum of Ancient Art campaign to buy the painting The Adoration of the Magi by 19th-century Portuguese master Domingos Sequeira.

Although the Ismailis do not constitute a state, the Ismaili world headquarters will work under special rules similar to those which govern foreign diplomatic delegations. The facilities are “inviolable”, and the Imam and his staff will have legal immunity and important tax benefits, as set out in an agreement signed in June 2015 between the prince and the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rui Machete. Many of these prerogatives had already been granted to members of the Imamate delegation who settled in Portugal in 2006 and work in the Rua de São Domingos à Lapa.

Nearly 500 people will work in the new headquarters, including 400 recruited in Portugal. The initial 100 will come with the Aga Khan, who is still looking for a location for his official residence in the country. Until then, the Imam will continue to travel between Paris and Lisbon on his private jet and stay at the Ritz Hotel a few hundred metres away from the future world headquarters.
The Ismaili Centre in Lisbon is the main meeting place of the Portuguese Ismaili community
The prince leaves behind in France his racehorses, one of the family traditions inherited from his father, Aly Khan, who was married to the actress Rita Hayworth. Karim Aga Khan has hundreds of stallions worth millions of euros on properties in France and Ireland and is one of the leading breeders in Europe.

His jockeys race all over the world wearing silk jackets the emerald green and red of the Imamate flag, and fortunes are paid for the pedigree of his horses. Crossing a mare with 2009 Arc de Triomphe winner See the Stars, one of the world’s best racehorses, costs EUR125,000, and the champion foals sell for EUR 308,000 euros on average and have reached EUR 935,000 euros, according to official stud farm data.

The oldest of the Aga Khan’s four children, Zahra, 45, now takes care of this family’s business affairs, allowing the Imam to divide his time between managing the Imamate and the Aga Khan Development Network. Last year he visited 14 countries, including Kenya, where he lived with his family as a child, India, Uganda, Canada and the USA, where he graduated in Islamic history.

“His Highness coming to Portugal will have a great impact on the Ismaili community, and also on the country itself,” says 48-year-old businessman Zahir Remtula, alluding to the ability of the religious leader to attract investment within and outside the Ismaili community. “But we will have to wait to see how big a difference he will make,” he emphasizes.

Like all Ismailis, Zahir Remtula maintains the tradition of having a framed photograph of the Aga Khan in all his interior design shops. Owner of the Safira store in Almirante Reis Avenue and responsible for neighbouring store INCASA Design, he was among the first Ismailis to move to Lisbon. With his mother and two brothers, he left Angoche in Mozambique, where his ancestors had moved from India, in 1974.

The successful immigration of Ismailis to Portugal even before Mozambican independence in 1975 is seen as testament to the Aga Khan’s diplomatic skills. “He learned to anticipate events and helped the community move their businesses to Portugal,” anthropologist Pereira Bastos explains. “Already installed in the country, they ended helping the Portuguese returning from Mozambique who had left most of their assets behind.”
At the Olivais Sul Childcare Centre in Lisbon, three-year-olds decide what they want to do
Remtula’s family started a barbecue restaurant in Lumiar, and a few years later opened their first furniture store in Benfica. In the late 1970s, he moved to Almirante Reis, where his Safira stores thrived, the family eventually running more than a dozen businesses in Lisbon.

Ismailis are still active in the furniture, clothing and hotels sectors. Among the best known are the four brothers who, in the late 1980s, opened a family store in Lisbon’s Pascoal de Melo Street, and now have over 80 Sacoor stores in countries as far afield as Dubai and Kuwait. Other well-known Ismaili-owned brands include VIP Hotels, with 16 hotels in Portugal, the Azores and Mozambique, and the Azinor Group, owner of the Sana chain, with hotels in Portugal, Berlin and Luanda.

These Muslims, says the researcher Jorge Malheiros from Lisbon University’s Centre for Geographical Studies, “always had a higher economic level than the other populations of Indian origin who came to Portugal, like the Hindus or the Goans”. They started as small businessmen in areas like Almirante Reis, but have been diversifying ever since, he says.

A growing number of Ismailis now work in banking, services, real estate and car hire, and are starting to enter the law, engineering and medical professions. One such is Zahir’s cousin, Sofia Remtula, 26, a doctor in the Family Health Unit in Oeiras. “There are at least two other Ismailis of my generation practicing medicine and four or five working towards their degrees,” she says.

The focus on education and self-development is one of the guiding principles of the community. “Almost all the younger generation have higher education, either in Portuguese universities or abroad,” says Nazim Ahmad, a representative of the Aga Khan Foundation.

The ultimate purpose is that “the Ismailis remain a well-integrated elite, recognized with respect and dignity in the various countries where they live,” anthropologist José Gabriel Pereira Bastos explains.

Zahir Remtula studied in public high schools and never finished a course he took in hotel management, but his daughters now attend private schools. The oldest is studying management at the Catholic University and the 16-year-old is in the 11th Grade at the Doroteias College.

Most of the Ismailis in Portugal still live in the capital, where they first settled, but there are faithful scattered all over the country, with community centres and places of worship in Seixal, Oeiras, Porto, Faro and Portimão.

Ismailis can pray in mosques, but Sunnis and non-believers cannot participate in Ismailis prayer meetings. Only those who accept the Aga Khan as the Imam of the time and undertake the bai’at, or baptism, and swear loyalty and fidelity, can attend these. The guidelines that the prince preaches in his meetings with the community cannot be revealed to outsiders.

Ismailis do not pray five times a day like Sunni Muslims, but have three mandatory daily prayer sessions. At the Ismaili Centre in Lisbon, the last two of these prayers are made by the assembled congregation, chaired by a minister of worship. Under a portrait of prince Aga Khan, believers pray barefoot, with the elderly or sick sitting on benches facing Mecca.
Riaz Issa
Riaz Issa, 53, owner of the Partyland store chain and a member of the Ismaili Centre management committee, is one of the few of his generation married to a Catholic. The Ismaili Centre has been the venue for many marriages, although Ismaili marriage is not a sacrament, as it is among Catholics. Riaz Issa says that “there is a blessing, a prayer” led by a minister after the civil union, which is the only one recognized in Portuguese law.

But the situation is changing. “Today there is more and more openness, and more mixed marriages involving Portuguese Ismailis”, he says. The Ismaili faith allows inter-faith marriages, with no need to convert to Islam. But pressure to marry within the community is still there. Anthropologist Bastos explains: “They prefer to marry within the community because it helps to ensure their specificity. They want to integrate, but do not want to be assimilated.”

In a 2006 study for the Immigration Observatory co-authored by Bastos, Ismaili youths admitted that it was easier for families to accept marriage with Catholics than with Sunni or Hindus. “On a day-to-day basis, there is some rivalry between different Muslims, due to the need to preserve their identities,” he explains.

At the top level, “relations are excellent” between the two great Muslim branches, says Sunni Abdul Vakil, chairman of the Islamic community of Lisbon. The link between his family and the Ismaili leader is old and dates back to his time in Mozambique. “I remember, as a child in Maputo, Aga Khan III came to visit my father in his office and I sat on his knees. For years, the Ismailis have reminded me of the privilege of having sat in his lap,” he says.

Like all Muslims, Ismailis do not eat pork or drink alcohol, and fast in Ramadan. Learning about Islam is deeply embedded in the family and community. On Saturday mornings, children and adolescents have classes at the Ismaili Centre to deepen their understanding of the faith. That is also where they learn about their obligation to make religious donations to the Imamate.

Portuguese Muslims make a mandatory payment called ‘zakat’ as part of the precepts of their faith. Sunnis donate 2.5 percent of their income annually; Ismailis fulfil this precept by donating the equivalent of one-eighth of their profits.
Prince Charles and wife Camila, in a prayer with Aga Khan in London’s Ismaili Centre in 2007
“I was brought up to make this donation from childhood,” says Faranaz Keshavjee. Ismaili children learn to give up an eighth of the value of gifts they receive on birthdays or religious festivals. “This is a personal requirement, a test of faith and fidelity that is part of the ancient ethics of Islam,” explains Keshavjee.
Farah Pahlavi, Aga Khan and Bernardette Chirac, former first lady of France, attend the wedding of prince Albert of Monaco in 2011.
Ismailis families and business owners also support the Imamate during religious festivals, and support specific Aga Khan Network projects as community members, but no-one in the community actually monitors donations and no data on the amount that the faithful around the world give to the prince personally is kept.
Prince Amyn Aga Khan, brother of the leader of the Ismaili community, delivers a cheque for EUR200,000 to the Portuguese National Museum of Ancient Art for the campaign to purchase “The Adoration of the Magi”
When his grandfather, Aga Khan III, celebrated 50 years of spiritual leadership in 1936, he allegedly received from his followers in India an amount of gold equal to his weight.

In Portugal, donations from the community and other entities in 2009 included EUR 3.7 million for the celebrations of 50 years of Prince Karim’s Imamate and the Aga Khan University. Donations to the Imam and the Imamate became totally free of Portuguese taxes and exempt from capital gains last November under the agreement reached with the Portuguese government.

“The funds received by His Highness are used only to finance projects of the Aga Khan Development Network” representative of Aga Khan Foundation in Portugal Nazim Ahmad says.

Over the past 30 years, the foundation has funded several social integration programs in partnership with the state, the Catholic church and local authorities, and has many other projects in the pipeline.

In December it started training nannies, under a new Portuguese law that regulates and liberalizes the profession. The task was deputized to the Olivais Sul Childcare Centre by the Social Security Institute, based on its seven-year track record.

The public centre, which is managed by the foundation, is attended by 165 children and has an innovative teaching program. It also supervises and monitors nannies who look after children at home.

In the single-storey building, which stands out on a street of tall buildings in the Olivais neighbourhood, it’s not only about providing care. “The centre is an educational intervention focused on children from the nursery up to six years,” says Director of Education Alexandra Marques. Teaching follows what Marques calls the “model of pedagogy by participation”, which “has democracy as a fundamental value”, with students choosing learning material and taking an active part in their own education.

In the room for the three-year-olds, children start the day sitting round the teacher, who asks them what they want to do. Each in turn decides whether to begin the day drawing, playing with building blocks or playing in the “corner of make-believe”. In the afternoon, they all sit again to review the day. This is how, says one teacher, you learn to manage time, know yourself, express yourself, and learn to be fair and respect the choices of others.

By the age of five, they are holding their own student meetings and proposing topics to learn about. The teachers then plan and conduct the activities in the classrooms, where there is always a couch for parents who wish to attend.

Now the centre has moved on to providing training for professionals from three other institutions in Lisbon. “We want to replicate the model,” says Marques.

The foundation’s projects look beyond pre-school. By the end of the year, they hope to have found a site for the first Aga Khan Academy in the Western world. The elite school for thousands of students between 5 and 18 years, half on scholarships, was destined to be built in Cascais, a cosmopolitan suburb 30 km from the capital. The EUR 100 million project stalled last year, mired in controversy, but has gained new momentum with the coming of the Aga Khan to Portugal.

Educational project in the Greater Lisbon is the first bet of the Ismaili Imamat in the country

It will be the first Aga Khan Academy in Europe. It is prepared to receive about a thousand students in the first round - the opening is planned for 2018 - and accepts children from five years to college age. The investment is budgeted at one hundred million euros and takes place following the installation of the world headquarters of the Ismaili Imamat in Lisbon. The decision was made even before the signing of the agreement with the Portuguese State accordingly. But on the table is still the choice of where they will work the academy, an option that will depend on the negotiations for the acquisition of land which currently arise.

The facility will include students from all social classes. Admission tests are made on merit and talent of the candidates, who will pay fees according to household income. The grants the Aga Khan Foundation include accommodation for students without financial and boarding from 12 years. The goal is to provide an education of excellence for Portuguese students, PALOP and existing academies in other countries in rotation scheme (India, Kenya and Mozambique).

In addition to education, culture is another of the foundation's investment areas in Portugal. It opens today in Toronto, Canada, the first exhibition result of this action. It is "Rebuilding the Alhambra in the Aga Khan Museum" a Siza Vieira architect's work.

Luís Amado will be the arm of the Government in relations with Prince Aga Khan

Former foreign minister will make the connection between the government and the Ismaili Imamat.

Luís Amado was the name chosen by the executive to lead the Portuguese delegation that will ensure the implementation of the agreement between the Aga Khan Foundation and the Portuguese government.

The appointment of former Foreign Minister José Sócrates and former chairman of Banif is published in the Journal of the Republic today with the signing of the current foreign minister, Augusto Santos Silva. Besides Luís Amado they were also named Mario Jesus dos Santos and João Pedro Lourenço Antunes. The three names will be part of the Joint Committee, which shall contain a further three members appointed by the Ismaili Imamat, Prince Aga Khan.

The Joint Committee aims to ensure and resolve disputes that may arise, since its jurisdiction is outside the purview of the courts.

The agreement between the Portuguese government and the Ismaili Imamat was signed in 2015. Through this agreement Ismaili Imamat, a religious community with over 15 million Muslims will build headquarters in Lisbon bringing investment to the country in return the community will bring equivalent benefits a state.

The agreement between the Portuguese Republic and the Ismaili Imamat, Prince Aga Khan, is outside the jurisdiction of national courts. Luís Amado leads the referees committee of state side and ensures their implementation.

Luís Amado was appointed by the Government to lead the Portuguese delegation that will ensure the implementation of the agreement with the religious confession of the tycoon and Prince Aga Khan, and settle disputes that may arise - as the contract is outside the jurisdiction of national courts.

The appointment of former Foreign Minister José Sócrates and former chairman of Banif contained in the Official Gazette on Monday, along with Mario names of Jesus dos Santos and João Pedro Lourenço Antunes, leaving the three represent the interests of Portuguese Republic. The Ismaili Imamat indicate three other names.

In all, six figures that integrate the designated "Joint Committee" a committee that, according to the agreement signed in 2015 between Portugal and the Ismaili Imamat and ratified in October 2015 will have two functions: to ensure that it is implemented and settle disputes that may arise over time.

The agreement provides that the Ismaili Imamat, a religious community with 15 million Muslims around the world, merges its headquarters in Lisbon, which will flow into investment and employment. In return, they receive benefits and prerogatives as if a foreign state if they were.

As the business has already explained, the Imamat and the prince himself shall be exempted from general taxes, not will be subject to the tax court and secured an irrevocable agreement for the next 25 years.

The agreement was signed with the government of Pedro Passos Coelho, but the links tycoon Aga Khan to Portugal cut across various political persuasions, including the PS.

Interview in English of President Rasul of the AKU at Portugal's Science Encounter 2016 in regards to the recent agreement between the Imamat and the Portugal on various joint scientific initiatives between the two parties

Ya Ali Madad.
I just saw the caliph series on Al Jaazera channel.
that Imam Moizz shifted his base during fatimid era fro Al Mahendiya in Tunisia to Cairo,Egypt.Our MHI is now shifting base from Paris to Lisbon.
the distance between them is similar.it was followed by 100 years of glorious
golden period.
this IT WILL BE ALI SPEAKING AS FIRST PERSON THAT 'WHO HE IS'
Ismaili scholars may have much to study from it.

Aga Khan is the Imam of the Ismailis, the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad. Lisbon is the world headquarters of Imamat Ismaili, the Ismaili community, since 2016.
Photo: Mike Cassese / Reuters

Prince Aga Khan will donate half a million euros to help the victims of the fires in the Leiria district, says the Observer. According to the online publication, the arrival of the money will be the responsibility of the Ministry of Solidarity and Social Security.

Aga Khan is the Imam of the Ismailis, descendants of the Prophet Muhammad. Lisbon is the world headquarters of Imamat Ismaili, the Ismaili community, since 2016.

In 2016, Forbes indicated that Aga Khan had a personal fortune of 800 million euros.

Coastweek-- His Highness the Aga Khan today announced a contribution of Euros 500,000 towards the support of victims of the deadly forest fire in Pedrógão Grande in central Portugal.

The fire left more than 60 people dead and several more injured.

“My heartfelt condolences go to the families of those who have lost their lives in this tragic fire,” the Aga Khan said.

“We wish to assure His Excellency President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and the people of Portugal, of our unconditional support at this very trying time.”

The Aga Khan spoke directly with the President over the weekend to offer his sympathy and support.

The half a million euro contribution from the Ismaili Imamat – the office of His Highness the Aga Khan – will be channelled through the Ministry of Solidarity.

The funds together with others raised by local and international organisations in response to the crisis, will aid victims affected by the tragic fire, which was one of the worst such disasters in Portugal’s recent history.

A formal Seat of the Ismaili Imamat was established in Portugal on 3 June 2015, following the signing of a landmark agreement with the Republic of Portugal.

The Agreement came into effect after it was approved by Portugal’s Parliament and ratified by the President of the Portuguese Republic.

His Highness the Aga Khan is the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, a global community spread over 25 countries worldwide and who represent a rich tapestry of cultures, languages and nationalities.

He is founder and Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), one of the largest private development networks today.

The Aga Khan Foundation, one of the agencies of the AKDN, has been working in Portugal for over 30 years.

This is not the first such initiative on the part of the prince Aga Khan. In September, it distributed half a million euros to the victims of the Pedrógão fires

Aga Khan, the millionaire leader of the Ismaili community in Portugal, has announced that he will donate one hundred thousand euros to reforest the areas most destroyed by the last major fires. The one hundred thousand euros that it makes available will be used to clean the Pinhal de Leiria and later plantation. It is estimated that the area covered will be 75 hectares and will receive 156,000 trees.

The donation was announced today in Lisbon by Prince Amyn Aga Khan, brother of the leader of the Ismaili community, during a reception he presided over to mark Imamat Day, an event that gathered hundreds of people at the capital's Ismaili Center.

With news of how the country means to recover the devastation of last summer’s forest fires updating by the day, one of the latest highlights is a donation of €100,000 for reforestation efforts from the Aga Khan’s Ismaili community, based in Lisbon.

The offer was announced yesterday (Thursday), with the money going towards reforesting Leiria’s ‘mata nacional’ - one of the areas worst hit by the fires that are now thought to have killed as many as 50 people in October (see below).

The initiative is going ahead in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and ICNF, with tree planting due to take place between January and March next year, said a note issued by the foundation.

This is the second time that Imamat Ismaili community based in Lisbon has stepped in to help post-fire recovery.

In June it handed over €500,000 to “support the victims of Pedrógão Grande”.

Meantime, the government is busy announcing new initiatives. Just in the last few days, the ministry of planning has launched a raft of measures allocating €100,000 to attract new businesses to the areas devastated in October.

These funds join measures announced at the start of the month, explains Dinheiro Vivo - both involving the same amount: €100,000.

Portugal is hosting in Lisbon the headquarters of the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe, is member of the Bureau of the Executive Committee of the North-South Centre and is contributing to its activities through several voluntary contributions. The Aga Khan Development Network is also cooperating with the Centre earmarking its voluntary contributions to some of its activities.

Intervention of Mr. Nazim Ahmad, representative of the Imamat Ismaili in Portugal, at the Diplomatic Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Portugal, on the relations with the Portuguese Republic

PRESENTATION OF THE ISMAILI IMAMAT, AGREEMENTS
BETWEEN PORTUGAL AND AKDN
LISBON –22 February 2018

The Queen’s Library – Ministry of Foreign Affairs
INTRODUCTORY NOTES OF THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE
IMAMAT ISMAILI, COMMENDATORE NAZIM AHMAD

Dear Secretary of State of the Portuguese communities, Mr. José Luis Carneiro
Dear President of the Diplomatic Institute, Ambassador Freitas Ferraz
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

A few words in the first place to thank Ambassador Freitas Ferraz, distinguished president of the Diplomatic Institute, his cooperation, and that of the Institute, in organizing this presentation. I hope you get to know better, what is Imamat
Ismaili and what its activities, especially that of the Aga Khan Network for development.

Secondly, I would take the opportunity to, in the person of the Secretary of State, Mr. José Luis Carneiro-whose presence I thank, express the appreciation of Imamat Ismaili for the commitment that the Portuguese Government has expressed in the development of the relations between both parties. This is
what we have found too, either in other high instances of the Portuguese Republic or in the administration, and which have been translated into the conclusion of various bilateral agreements and cooperation actions.

I would like to thank all those present in this sitting, who have wanted to be with us today in this event, which fits the letter and spirit of the International cooperation Protocol signed in 2008. More precisely, and by happy coincidence, on 11 July, very significant date for the Ismaili community, since it was
on July 11, 1957, that His Highness the Aga Khan took up his mission as a spiritual leader of the Ismaili community.

A happy coincidence, reinforced by the fact that this presentation take place during the celebrations of the Jubilee of His Highness, which will have its highest point, on 11 July next in Lisbon, the city where we have our headquarters, under the agreement signed in this House in 2015.

The Foreign secretary is, as he could not be, our privileged interlocutor. Therefore, at the time when we are completing the installation phase of the seat of the Imamat Ismaili unprecedented task, because in 1,400 years of history this is the first time that the Imamat has a physical headquarters in
the current moulds, finding only parallel in the period Fatimid-thought It would be useful to provide structured information about our institutions, our history and the context of our relationship, as well as the potential of the same in
Portugal and abroad, now and in the future.

It is a great honor and a great pleasure-and also a great responsibility-to do so today here in this Ministry and before the members of a career known for their great preparation, high level of demand and rigour.

I would like to reiterate our thanks for your presence, in this organised initiative jointly with the Diplomatic Institute, in a collaboration that I am sure will continue in the future.

We entered the future world headquarters of Ismaili Imamat to see the restoration works of the Mendonça mansion. In July, the first phase will be completed. At the time of the closing of the celebrations of the 60 years of Aga Khan ahead of the Ismailis

At a ceremony earlier today, marking the conclusion of his Diamond Jubilee year, Mawlana Hazar Imam officially designated the premises located at Rua Marquês de Fronteira in Lisbon — the Henrique de Mendonça Palace — as the Seat of the Ismaili Imamat, and declared that it be known as the “Diwan of the Ismaili Imamat”. The ceremony was attended by members of the Imam’s family including Prince Amyn, Princess Zahra and her children Sara and Iliyan, Prince Rahim and Princess Salwa with their children Prince Irfan and Prince Sinan, Prince Hussain and Prince Aly Muhammad as well as leaders of the Jamat from around the world.

The Seat of the Ismaili Imamat was established in Lisbon by Mawlana Hazar Imam at the invitation of the Portuguese government. This reflects the strong historical ties that have developed over generations.

During the ceremony, Mawlana Hazar Imam remarked about the long-standing relationship.

“I am grateful for the government of Portugal for inviting me to establish the Seat within its territory. Over the years, the Portuguese have shown friendship, understanding, and a warm welcome to the Jamat as well as to the Imamat,” he said. “Ours is a relationship grounded in the shared values of religious freedom, tolerance, and pluralism. I believe, alongside strengthening the Imamat’s capacities, this will also enable our institutions to make a constructive and beneficial contribution to areas of mutual interest.”

This is the first time in the Ismaili Imamat’s 1,400-year history that a Seat has been established following a treaty with a sovereign non-Muslim country, making the designation a milestone moment for the global Ismaili community. Mawlana Hazar Imam highlighted the significance of the agreement on a global scale, as well as to the Jamat, during his remarks.

“Establishing a Seat in Portugal will also provide a platform for enhancing international relationships and taking them in new directions. At this time I wish to acknowledge the diligent work of many murids who over the years have contributed to the process that has resulted in this milestone agreement with Portugal,” Hazar Imam said. “It is my hope that the Jamat will share in my happiness over the accomplishment of this significant milestone which I believe will strengthen the Imamat’s capacity to fulfil its mandate of ensuring the Jamat’s safety, security, and quality of life.”

The notion of a Seat goes back to the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), whose residence in Medina served both as a seat and a mosque.

Hazrat Ali, during his reign as the first Imam and the fourth Caliph of the nascent Muslim Ummah, established his Seat in Kufa, Iraq. In the Fatimid caliphal era, the Seat of the Ismaili Imamat moved from Raqqadah in Qayrawan (now Tunisia), first to al-Mahdiyya, and thereafter to al-Mansurriya and eventually to al-Qahira (now Cairo) in Egypt, a city founded by Mawlana Hazar Imam’s ancestor, our 14th Imam, Caliph al-Mu’izz.

In Ismaili tradition, the notion of the Seat of the Imamat corresponds to the Imam’s physical presence. Depending on the requirements of the Imamat and the Ismaili community, it is the Imam’s prerogative formally to designate a Seat in one or more locations.

Historically, including during the periods when they ruled over territories and peoples, Ismaili Imams have engaged in global diplomatic relations, with the Seat serving as the locus of such relations. In the modern era, the Imamat collaborates with national governments, regional and international institutions, and civil society organisations, to fulfil its mandate, which includes to guide the Jamat, and to improve the quality of life around the world.

The official designation of the Seat’s premises follows a series of significant developments in the relationship between Portugal and the Ismaili Imamat and builds on accords with the Republic of Portugal, the first of which was signed in 2005 and thereafter in 2008 and 2009.

In June 2015, Portugal welcomed the establishment of the Seat of the Ismaili Imamat in Lisbon. The Agreement signed on that occasion, represents a pioneering gesture that underlines the values of tolerance, cooperation, and mutual respect. It provides an enabling framework that will facilitate the global work of the Ismaili Imamat and marks the first such accord in the Imamat’s modern history and is a historic milestone. The premises at Rua Marquês de Fronteira, home of the Seat, provides a long-term base from which the Imamat will address complex international requirements and challenges.

In his address to the Portuguese Parliament on 10 July 2018, Mawlana Hazar Imam referred to the Seat as a “committed global institution” and spoke of the meaning and impact it will have, remarking “Lisbon, already a leading international crossroads city, will also now serve as a central connecting point for the global Ismaili community.” He reaffirmed the magnitude of the decision to establish a Seat in Portugal “taken after much reflection and consultation” saying that “it represents a true milestone moment in the long history of the Imamat.”

This milestone moment is also recognised by Portugal and its people. At the Parliamentary address yesterday, His Excellency Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues, the President of the Assembly of the Republic, referred to the Diamond Jubilee of Mawlana Hazar Imam as well as this historic occasion as “the high point, even a historic point of projection of the Ismaili community and Portugal.”

He went on to say “that celebration, and that all of this is celebrated here, and the fact that the headquarters of the Ismaili Imamat is going to be established here – is historic, it gives us great pride, great pleasure, but also great responsibility.”

His Excellency also shared his hope of what these events will bring for Portugal saying, “Your visit here and your establishment here, shows how we would like to project ourselves in the international community as a bridge-building country. We offer you our heartiest congratulations at this high point in history. We hope that your presence in Portugal will be a catalyst for energy and joint work for the creation of more fair, more open, and more pluralist societies.”

To mark the significance of the occasion, a gift — a meticulously detailed coloured print depicting the Qajar monarch Fath Ali Shah — was presented to Mawlana Hazar Imam on behalf of the global Jamat. The print, with its exquisite detailing and saturated colours, evokes the powerful impression of the monumental imperial enthronement scenes.

The coloured aquatint on paper depicts the Qajar ruler Fath Ali Shah enthroned with princes, noblemen, ministers, foreign ambassadors, and envoys. The print is one of a series of reduced copies of life-size wall paintings completed in 1812-13, evoking the splendour and glory of Fath Ali Shah’s reign at the Court of Persia in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

(translated) 16 research and development projects are presented this Thursday under the framework of the 10-year “Knowledge-for-Development” initiative which includes funding of €10 million.

The Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor, inaugurated the program this Thursday, July 12, with the presentation of 16 research and development projects at the Ismaili Center in Lisbon. The projects are designed to improve African countries’ capacity to respond to development challenges and to improve people’s quality of life.

The projects are funded under the “Knowledge for Development Initiative” protocol, established in 2016, between the Foundation for Science and Technology and the Aga Khan Development Network. They have the support of several Portuguese institutions of higher education and in particular of the “Global Science” Agenda with Portuguese-speaking African countries.

The protocol has a duration of 10 years and includes a funding of 10 million euros, provided by Ismaili Imamat.

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First Winners of Collaboration between Ismaili Imamat and Portugal Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education
BY ISMAILIMAIL POSTED ON JULY 12, 2018

First Winners of Collaboration between Ismaili Imamat and Portugal Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education(translated) The Foundations for Science and Technology and the Aga Khan Foundation present the 16 projects selected for funding of 4.6 million euros under the Protocol of Scientific and Technological Cooperation.

These projects are the winners of the first competition held under the Protocol for Scientific and Technological Cooperation between the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education and Ismaili Imamat.

The launch of the second contest under this protocol, for new collaborations, is also announced this Thursday. The session takes place during the Jubilee of Prince Karim Aga Khan and takes place at the Ismaili Center in Lisbon.

Aga Khan University and Ministry of Health, Portugal sign Memorandum of Agreement for the cooperation in the area of Health
BY ISMAILIMAIL POSTED ON JULY 18, 2018

(translated) The Memorandum of Understanding signed this morning by the Minister of Health of Portugal, Adalberto Campos Fernandes, and the President of the Aga Khan University, Firoz Rasul, with immediate effect and will allow joint training, to be developed and for the promotion and the implementation of several projects.

This agreement strengthens the relationship between the Portuguese Republic and the Ismaili Imamat, the supranational entity that represents the Imam of Ismaili Muslims, His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan – who is responsible for the Aga Khan Development Network under Which, is the Aga Khan University.

Aga Khan University and Ministry of Health, Portugal sign Memorandum of Agreement for the cooperation in the area of Health

Aga Khan University and Ministry of Health, Portugal sign Memorandum of Agreement for the cooperation in the area of Health

Lisbon, Portugal, 12 July 2018 – A second tranche of grant funding for research and education projects in the amount of € 2.5 million was announced by representatives of the Ismaili Imamat and Aga Khan Development Network as a week of activities concluded in Portugal celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of His Highness the Aga Khan.

The second tranche is intended to fund research that will improve the quality of life mainly in Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa.

Topics that were funded by the first tranche of € 2.3 million from the Aga Khan – which was matched by a further € 2.3 million from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) – included medical research (tuberculosis, malaria, HIV and sickle cell anaemia); biodiversity and climate change; habitat; agriculture and food security; and cultural identity, pluralism, and the integrity of elections.

The research projects funded by the first €4.6 million represented partnerships between researchers based at institutions located throughout Portugal (from the University of Algarve in the south to the University of Minho in the north and including the University of Lisbon and the Gulbenkian Foundation) and in many Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa, including Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau.

Whereas the first call, launched in May 2017, was restricted to existing research collaborations, the second call is open to new collaborations with the intention of catalysing research that includes AKDN partners wherever possible.

The second call for research projects was announced by the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) on 12 July 2018, as part of its Initiative on Knowledge for Development and will be open to receive proposals later in the year.

The Initiative on Knowledge for Development is a global cooperation agenda that includes scientific and technological research projects aimed at fostering the welfare of people while building scientific, technical, social science and humanities research capacity.

For more information about the Ismaili Imamat, the Aga Khan Development Network and the Diamond Jubilee of His Highness the Aga Khan, please visit: www.akdn.org or https:/ismaili.imamat .

Conference on Migrant, Refugee, Asylum Seeking Women and Girls in the EuroMed

As a follow-up of the recommendations of the Lisbon Forum 2016 roundtable on “Women refugees, migrants and asylum seekers in Europe and the Southern Mediterranean: Meet the immediate emergency needs and find the longer term solutions”, the North-South Centre is organising a conference on “Migrant, refugee and asylum seeking women and girls in Euro-Mediterranean region”, on the 27 and 28 September 2018 in Sounion, Greece. The Government of Portugal and the Aga Khan Development Network support the conference which counts on the collaboration of the European Public Law Organisation and METAdrasi – Action for Migration and Development.

AKDN’s Knowledge for Development Initiative: A collaboration between Ismaili Imamat and Portugal Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education
BY ISMAILIMAIL POSTED ON JULY 19, 2018

(translated) Project of the School of Health Technology approved in the 1st FCT and Aga Khan Competition. Miguel Brito, a professor at ESTeSL, is the coordinator of one of the 16 projects presented on July 12 at the Ismaili Center in Lisbon, in a session that was attended by the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor and the Commander Nazim Ahamad, diplomatic representative of Imamat Ismaili to the Portuguese Republic. Click arrows to view the photo album.

He is a prince and lives with the international royalty. He is received as head of state without state. He holds two secular titles - that of His Highness and that of Aga Khan - attributed by the British monarchies and Qajar dynasty.

He is a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (Muhammad) and jokes also

He says that the work he has developed is neither charity nor philanthropy.

He is also the founder and President of the Aga Khan Development Network, which is part of the well-known Foundation, among other agencies for economic, social, scientific and cultural development in the world, including Portugal .

In the singular interview he gave to the Portuguese press , during the celebration of his Golden Jubilee, he made a point of making his position very clear: he is part of the foundational Islam, he said, both Sunni and Shiite, that an Imam assumes his responsibility first place, in the security of peoples, and then in improving the quality of life of the population in general, especially where poverty is critical.

It is the responsibility of an Imam to lead his leadership on the basis of the Islamic ethical principle of "helping people to help themselves."

The goal of my Imamate will always be to contribute to the populations becoming independent and masters of their own destinies.

He argues that unlike Judeo-Christian traditions, an Imam teaches the believer not to divide or separate faith from the affairs of the world.

For the Aga Khan, faith must be lived every day, at all times, and cannot consist only of "occasional entries," in situations such as baptisms, weddings, or funerals.

However, being different religious traditions, they should not be understood as conflictual.

Asked about the interreligious dialogue, the prince argued that he does not see in these any added value.

For him, the dialogues are not inclusive enough, because if on the one hand, non-believers are left out, on the other, even believers may have life circumstances in which they lose faith.

And then, he said, there is always the danger of religious proselytism.

That is to say, when ethics which represent only the faith are imposed, all the unbelievers who believe in an ethical society are left out.

Thus, if there is to be a dialogue, it will have to go through the construction of a society where ethics are global, and this can only be an "ethics of quality of life", a "cosmopolitan ethic".

The question that occupies the minds of Ismailis and not Ismailis is this: why did His Highness Prince Aga Khan IV choose Portugal to establish the Ismaili Imamat, when he could have chosen Canada - a larger, richer, pluralistic country, and where he has established other important institutions?

How can a small country, with an Ismaili community also reduced, be chosen, after approximately a thousand years since the Fatimid dynasty, to establish an Imamate that projects this "cosmopolitan ethic"?

Although he did not specifically refer to the establishment of the Imamate's headquarters in Portugal - something that was completely unknown to most believers and non-believers, - the prince pointed out in that interview four reasons for this choice:

In the first place, Portugal is a country where one can observe a "social construction in operation" instead of a "dysfunctional social construction".

Secondly, as a secular and secular country, there is a political will in Portugal to recognize the structures of faith, and to give them an important role for their development - something that does not happen in other secular and secular countries.

Third, Portugal has a history of pluralism that is unique; and even if the Portuguese themselves are unaware of this fact, one can only understand pluralism when one has already been exposed to it.

And "the truth is that there have been centuries of pluralism and acceptance of difference!"

This lack of knowledge probably results from a historiography that neglected the pluralism that existed throughout 700 years of Portuguese history, where Jews, Christians, Muslims and even non-believers worked and governed from pluralistic political and cultural models.

His Highness saw in this important factor the possibility of working with Portugal on the shortcomings of understanding and knowledge between Europe and the Islamic World; not only what is missing here but also the mutual lack of knowledge that exists outside this country.

Finally, he recognized in Portugal a strong, massive and active civil society. In a world where there are enormous governmental weaknesses, both in Africa and Asia, and which in its opinion, can last for decades, it will be fundamental that Portugal can, through this partnership between the Portuguese government and the Imamate, create the conditions to help other developing societies to strengthen their own civil society.

But can a minority like the Portuguese make a difference? Aga Khan responds to this conviction that we should never underestimate the power of minorities.

For this religious leader, it is precisely in the smaller ones that often lies the greater responsibility to change reality; and, in that sense, Portugal may not only be an example to follow but, indeed, a case study for the rest of the world.

* Researcher at the ISCTE-IUL International Studies Center&#9851;&#62768;

Exclusive images of the interior of the new Aga Khan House in Lisbon | Lisbonne Idée
BY ISMAILIMAIL POSTED ON JULY 27, 2018

A French-style room is an example of sophistication and luxury in the new Aga Khan house in Lisbon.

Designed by architect Ventura Terra in 1901 for entrepreneur Henrique Mendonça, the Palacete was bought by Aga Khan and was officially inaugurated in July 2018 as the seat of the Ismaili Imamat. From the first day of this new phase of the Mendonça Palacete, dozens of followers of the Imam are seen photographing along the wall that protects the property of Marquês de Fronteira Street, at the top of the Eduardo VII Park.

On the occasion of the designation of the Seat of the Ismaili Imamat in Lisbon, Portugal, during Mawlana Hazar Imam’s Diamond Jubilee, a print depicting Fath Ali Shah was gifted to Mawlana Hazar Imam on behalf of the global Jamat.

Fath Ali Shah Hazar Imam Aga Khan

The print gifted to Mawlana Hazar Imam to mark the occasion of the designation of the Seat of the Ismaili Imamat. Image: The.Ismaili/Zahur Ramji

The Qajars, who ruled Persia from 1779 to 1925, descended from a Turkman tribe that rose to prominence under the Safavids (r. 1501-1722).

Visual arts particularly lacquer painting flourished under the Qajars, who encouraged traditional arts such as calligraphy, but also embraced new media and technologies from Europe including oil painting, portraiture, and printing.

lacquer Iran lacquer Qajar art Iran Persia
The Qajar monarchs relied heavily on the visual arts to confirm their power. The first monarch Aqa Muhammad (r. 1785-97) was concerned primarily with establishing firm rule during the turbulent climate. However, his successor Fath Ali Shah, who inherited a more secure position, devoted attention to defining the dynasty’s image through embodying Persian crafts with Western influences.

In addition to large scale architecture such as Negarestan and Gulistan (Golestan) palaces established in the capital, Fath Ali Shah commissioned numerous life-size portraits of himself and his sons that formed the backdrop to elaborate court ceremonies. His portraits, characterised by rich dark colours, were not intended to be realistic, but rather were icons of power. Although painting in oils had been introduced in Persia after 1600, the Qajars took this art form to new heights, using the paintings to promote their international image and commercial links.

Fath Ali Shah portrait
Portrait of Fath Ali-Shah, shown according to the European tradition of state portraiture, standing full length, Iran, 1809-1810. The State Hermitage Museum.
Fath Ali Shah oil painting qajar
Oil painting, woman carrying a plate of sweets, probably Tehran, 1810-1830. The painting may well have been removed from a palace erected by Fath ‘Ali Shah. His residences were often decorated with series of oil paintings in this style, which were built into the walls. The individual paintings are usually portraits of a single, large human figure. Victoria & Albert Museum.
Photography was introduced in Persia in the early 1840s during the reign of Muhammad Shah (r. 1834-1848), but it was strongly patronised by his successor Nasir al-Din Shah (r. 1848-96), who introduced a new artistic medium – the government newspaper, to which all senior officials had to subscribe and which carried numerous photos of the royal family, court officials, and diplomats; “it served to propagate the shah’s splendour, power, and presence just as paintings had done under Fath ‘Ali and Muhammad Shah” (Floor, Art and Artists in Qajar Persia). Photography became vital for documenting important ceremonies and historic events; photographers eventually replaced court painters for such functions.

Floor notes that “after 1850, Qajar painters split up into two stylistic groups, one continuing to work in traditional ways, the other adopting a European style. This gradual development was brought about by the trips that some painters made to Europe, the resulting formal training of painters in European techniques in Persia itself, the growing popularity of photograph-like illustrations in the printed media and the spread of photography.”

Fath Ali Qajar Aga Khan Negarestan Gulistan AKTC
The Court of Fath Ali Shah, Iran, c. 1815. Fath Ali Shah appears in regal splendour; his retinue includes his sons alongside ambassadors from France, Great Britain, Russia, the Ottoman Empire, and the kingdoms of Sind and Arabia depicted in meticulous detail. This painting is a copy of a life-size wall painting prepared in 1812-13 for the reception hall of Negarestan Palace. Image: Spirit & Life Catalogue, Aga Khan Trust for Culture
Negarestan Palace was commissioned in 1807 by Fath-Ali Shah and housed works by famous painters, hence the name, meaning ‘a place full of pictures’ in Farsi. It is currently a museum.

The Gulistan (Golestan) Palace, also currently a museum, was built during the reign of Safavid ruler Tahmasp I (1524-1576) and was the official residence of the Qajars. Most of the current complex, now on UNESCSO’s World Heritage List, was added by the Qajars.

Sources:
Ekhtiar, Maryam, and Marika Sardar. “Nineteenth-Century Iran: Art and the Advent of Modernity.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000